Many years ago orphanage home was a safe haven for orphans. In the past there was no suspicion of the activities of the homes in Nigeria. Indeed, some years ago, so many young girls and women who abandoned their babies after child birth and the babies were taken to orphanage home for safe keeping. Some children are picked on way and taken straight to motherless baby home for care. It is believed that those who run the homes are God fearing human beings. And there was no room to suspect and investigate them.
Orphanage home as a charitable organization, receive support from some wealthy individuals and organizations who visit the home with materials and money to support the day to day running of orphanage. Running an orphanage home is a tasking and painstaking venture. Few individuals are licensed by the government to operate orphanage home. The facilities also checked to see if they are in order for such affair. It is believed that any assistant rendered to orphans is to God. Because it is divinely correct to help the fatherless or motherless. The issue is that a day old cannot survive in the street if someone does not take up the service of caring for the child.
The bible says: “pure religion and undefiled before God and the father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their afflictions, and keep himself from the world, James 1:27. There is need for the public to know what is happening in the various orphanage homes across the country. The children in the home are taken care of by those who run the home. They clothe, feed and shelter them from cold of the weather.
The great venture and good gesture by some Nigerians to give a sense of belonging to the orphans is what some has turned to evil and wickedness. Some Nigerians under the guise of helping the young girls and children became contractors in selling babies. Some of them involve in child trafficking and sell the babies to foreigners.
Indeed, Catholic Church is known to be the front runner in orphanage home management in Nigeria. And since its inception there was no evil report from the angle of Catholic Church. Some Nigerians engage in the venture for money making. The government approved homes in Port Harcourt are made open for all to know what is going on. For instance, couples do go there and adopt children without any threat to the children adopted.
But in the case of the illegal orphanage homes, the operators are money mongers and not after the state of the children. Children are sold without trace of the buyers. So far as an individual has money he is a potential buyer without stress. And ignorant young girls and women are lured to the home to rear babies for sale. It became a lucrative market where people make millions daily. It is indescribable in this age of civilization that people are still indulging inhumane and criminal act in the country.
Today orphanage homes have been turned to dens of lions where innocent girls are kept to give birth for sale of their babies contrary to their desire.
There was an incident that happened in the fist week of May 2013, where a fifteen year old girl was pregnant and ran away from the house for fear of being beaten by her parents. She left Lagos for another state.. But the fact is after nine months she put to bed. Indeed, the story gathered that she was given two thousand naira to pay herself home. She returned home without any child. The parents were anxious and curious to know what happened to the pregnancy. After much interrogation she opened up her ordeal. Child trafficking is on the increase in Nigeria. And orphanage homes are used as the point to get things done unnoticed.
The agency fighting such crime must be adequately funded to stand the chance of winning the war against child trafficking. There is need for a strong surveillance on the activities of the orphanage home especially the ones in the remote areas of the country. There is also fear that some of babies are sold to ritualists.
Today, there are uncommon or unethical practices in some of the homes. Some persons are sent to the streets to seek or beg for alms to run the homes. That also is an eye sore in this modern day society. Again, some after making much money will divert the money to their pockets.
It is high time the federal, state and local government check the menace of illegal orphanages in the country. There is need for the government to stop illegal orphanages. People living within the neighbourhood should also monitor the activities of the home. The evil of keeping innocent girls in isolation for child bearing for money making and sexual abuse are on the increase.
All orphanage homes should be investigated to ascertain their kind of transactions. The increase rate of evil done in some orphanages is alarming. Therefore the trend should be checked and the defaulters found wanting should be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others. There should be public awareness campaign on the evil of child trafficking. Such act is against human right, therefore must not be condoned by anyone in Nigeria. It is evil. ###
